Google pledges $50 million to teach girls how to code

Google is investing $50 million over the next three years into its Made with Code effort, a new program that’s designed to encourage young girls to pursue computer science. The commitment comes after Google disclosed last month that just 17 percent of tech jobs at the search giant are held by women.

“Nowadays, coding isn’t just a skill useful for working at a tech company; engineering isn’t just for engineers. Interior design. Medicine. Architecture. Music,” YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote in a blog post. “No matter what a girl dreams of doing, learning how to code will help her get there. Their future — our future — is made with code. Let’s do what we can to make sure that future is as bright as possible.”

Google has lined up a host of partners for Made with Code, including Chelsea Clinton, Mindy Kaling, MIT Media Lab, Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Inc., the National Center for Women and Information Technology, and TechCrunch.